HBO is on a role — its original content programming is currently hitting home-runs at every turn, as shows such as True Blood and Game of Thrones continue to dominate supernatural/fantasy spectrum. Deadline is now reporting that HBO is adding another series to its arsenal (in addition to the upcoming American Gods adaptation from Neil Gaiman): Monster, an adaptation of the hit 18-volume Japanese manga series. Famed director Guillermo del Toro has signed on to lead the project.

Monster is a popular manga series by Naoki Urasawa, already adapted into a successful anime series in 2004. Deadline is reporting the following synopsis:

The thriller is about the worldwide search by a young doctor for the most evil sociopath that has ever lived. He is a 12-year-old boy, and the doctor’s decision to save his life has unwittingly unleashed a Pandora’s Box that leaves the doc battling to stop a plot of mass genocide.

Doctor Who writer Steven Thompson has been hired to write the pilot, which Guillermo del Toro will direct. Del Toro and Thompson will be executive producers on the project, with Don Murphy, Susan Montford and Gary Ungar joining as producers. The manga’s original writer, Naoki Urasawa, is attached to the project as a consulting director , which shows that del Toro and team are committed to staying true to the author’s original work while adapting the series.

No air date or full-season buy for the show has been announced, but we’ll keep you up to date on casting and filming developments as they come in!

About Author

Mike Macauley is the founder and editor in chief of Lytherus.com. He also founded and runs Shurtugal.com, the official Inheritance Cycle community, and published his book, The Inheritance Almanac, in 2011. Mike can be found on Twitter at @mikemacauley.

Dear Lytherus visitors: Our seven year journey as a fantasy and science fiction blog has come to a (hopefully temporary) end. As of September, we're entering an indefinite hiatus and are moving our operations over to Shurtugal.com, our sister site. There you'll be able to find familiar voices writing book reviews and reporting on the latest fandom news. We're not closing the door on Lytherus for good, as it's a project many of us would like to revisit in the future. For now, we encourage you to head over to Shurtugal.com to continue the adventure. Thanks for a wonderful seven years, and we hope to see you again soon!